I'm just not getting it... need help with action shots - pleeeeaaase :)

[KmH]

I usually used aperture priority to shoot action sports, and can reiterate that you have to keep a close eye on the shutter speed in the viewfinder to make sure it doesn't drop much below 1/500. If you can catch action right at the peak when everything is close to motionless 1/250 will often work.

Another tactic is to let the ISO float (auto ISO), but again you have to keep a close eye in the viewfinder what settings the camera is choosing.

Which points up a difference between experienced and inexperienced photographers, which is the amount of detail that is constantly monitored by the photographer.
Many new to photography don't think about, or make invalid assumptions about, what an experienced photographer is looking at in the viewfinder and what the photographers thought process is.
For experienced photographers it gets to be kind of like driving a car down the road in that many tasks are done automatically.

 

[spark123]

You need a S mode, that can provide you speed shutter for stop the moving scene. I am also a beginner and always using M mode, adjust the shutter to normally 200 in daylight is enough.

 

[Patrice]

Folks have been photographing in difficult situations (night sports is one of the hardest as are amateur dance shows) since way before we had the insane low light capabilities of modern cameras. One skill to learn and practice that will come in handy in many situations is to anticipate the moment. Example is your daughter's high kick, at the height of the kick her leg will be momentarily still, that is when you want to take the image.

 

[fmw]

I had a motocross course as a client so I shot many, many rolls of film at motocross competitions. Normally, I pan the bike with the camera. In other words. I use the camera hand held and move it along with bike so that the bike is composed as I want it. Then I shoot and follow through just like you would do with a shotgun shot at a pheasant. The amount of motion blur developed is a matter of the shutter speed as others have explained. Some of the most interesting shots were made at relatively low shotter speeds but with careful panning. 1/60 will provide lots of motion blur but 1/1000 will pretty much freeze things. I shoot car races and horse races the same way. Always panning.